Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe makes his directorial debut with "The Water Diviner," a World War I drama set to open this year's Newport Beach Film Festival on Thursday evening at the Lido Live theater.

Hush Little Baby
Suzanne Redfearn
Grand Central Publishing; 357 pages
If Suzanne Redfearn's "Hush Little Baby" had a second half to equal its first, it might have been a remarkable achievement. For nearly 200 pages, the novel is a spellbinding...

Tucked into the corner of an administrative building, awash with the hush-hush of important work, an earth-toned room was occupied by furniture, books and knickknacks.
And there it lay — smack-dab in the center.
A curvy black case, held together...

Coastline Community College is hosting a free digital media event Friday.
The Fountain Valley-based college is putting on "How to land a career in digital media: Tips for aspiring artists" from 3 to 5 p.m. at the college's Garden Grove campus, 12901...

What do giraffes dream of when they take a little giraffe snooze?
Tough to say, but it probably has little to do with meeting the Campus Drive 73 Freeway overpass face-first.
About five months after shooting for "The Hangover Part 3" closed down a 3-...

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The upcoming closure of the Corona del Mar (73) Freeway isn't for roadwork. It's for film production, officials said.
The August agenda of the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor board shows members were slated to discuss the state road closure, noting that Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. would use portions of the freeway between the San Diego (405) Freeway and Jamboree Road.
Warner Bros. is expected to pay the agency for lost toll revenues and other costs, the agenda noted. The amount the agency was...

A normally busy stretch of the 73 toll road in coastal Orange County will be closed this weekend for filming of "The Hangover Part 3," a deal that is drawing thumbs-down reviews from some.
"I think that it's another example of a state agency that just does what it wants without understanding what it does to a local community," said Costa Mesa City Councilman Steve Mensinger.
"Clearly," he added, "the state doesn't care what happens in local communities."
The three-mile section of California 73 from the...

The cast of "The Hangover" has taken on Las Vegas and Thailand, Mike Tyson's tiger and an unpredictable gangster in the first two installments of the comedic trilogy.
But if there's one thing you don't mess with, it's Southern Californians and their traffic.
Warner Bros. Pictures took out a full-page advertisement in the Orange County Register on Monday thanking county residents "for their cooperation, patience and goodwill" while "The Hangover Part 3" filmed on a closed California 73 toll road this...

Warner Bros. Photos

The cast of "The Hangover" has taken on Las Vegas and Thailand, Mike Tyson's tiger and an unpredictable gangster in the first two installments of the comedic trilogy.
But if there's one thing you don't mess with, it's Southern Californians and their traffic.
Warner Bros. Pictures took out a full-page advertisement in the Orange County Register on Monday thanking county residents "for their cooperation, patience and goodwill" while "The Hangover Part 3" filmed on a closed California 73 toll road this...

Warner Bros. invested a ton of money to revitalize the aging Superman franchise. Their new effort begins with great casting. British actor Henry Cavill has the buffed body and squared-jaw good looks to be the "Man of Steel." He also projects a genuine sensitivity that adds depth to our hero.
A serious Russell Crowe plays his Kryptonian father, Jor-El. Kevin Costner is Jonathan Kent, the Kansas farmer who becomes his earthly stepdad. Amy Adams is perfect as intrepid reporter Lois Lane. The special...

I'm going to miss the Park Avenue Bridge.
Though not an A-lister like the Golden Gate or Sydney Harbor bridges, the Park Avenue Bridge is a graceful and distinctive 100-foot span that connects Newport Harbor's Balboa Island and Little Island.
The narrow 32-foot-wide bridge, which has two lanes for autos with pedestrian walkways bordering each side, was completed in about 1930. It spans the ribbon-thin Grand Canal.
The Park Avenue Bridge was the first bridge I got to know as a youngster. With its...

Talk about underdogs.
This year's Newport Beach Film Festival features a slew of marquee names, from rocker Billie Joe Armstrong to "Office" star Steve Carell to Oscar-nominated director Lasse Hallstrom. But when tickets went on sale April 1, the film that sold out first belonged to a group of stars with decidedly lower stature.
Those would be the canine leads of "Wiener Dog Nationals," a family comedy by first-time feature director Kevan Peterson that will have its world premiere Saturday at the...